Finding a S.M.A.R.T. Window Cleaner

If you are looking for a "Professional Window Cleaner", don't pick the first company that swings a squeegee and advertises in the local paper. If you do you might end up with scratched or etched window glass. They need to be glass cleaning surface techs. This means they must not only be able to clean a window without leaving streaks. But also should be able to identify what type of surface they are working on; whether there is fabrication debris embedded in the tempered glass; has someone damaged the surface before them; and what restoration products/chems are safe for the window (will not chemically attack/etch, or scratch). Regarding the issue of fabrication debris. I have written an entire post in this blog on the subject. It has become a problem, as tempered glass is being turned out with surfaces that cannot be scraped or else the microfines will scratch the glass. Not the razor. So how does one deal with such a problem? Further, windows are much more advanced then they were just a few years ago. So they are much more costly. Companys have created all types of Low E coatings which have been applied to those surfaces we come into contact with, and those we cannot touch. These are called Super Windows. But there are Smart Windows too. Such as electrochromics and suspended particle device. Some of these windows can easily cost over fifty bux per square foot to replace. Currently companys are working on ways to make windows photovoltaic. This means instead of simply being solar filters, they are being converted to sun powered electrical generators. Also, have you ever heard of Self Cleaning glass? This is a titanium dioxide coating which is photocatalytic ( powered by UV radiation), and hydrophilic (water loving). It is supposed to break down dirt with the energy of the sun, then rinse it away with the rain. How does one clean/maintain such a surface? Also, if it gets covered with different types of post construction debris like paint overspray;... how does one remove this without doing harm to this new high tech surface? So we can see that windows do in fact require window cleaners to be Surface Maintenance And Restoration Technicians. We need to be S.M.A.R.T.

Henry Grover Jr.
Glass Tech Consulting
gtcnews@hotmail.com